well hello there

it's been quite a while. we moved over the holidays and are pretty settled now, just haven't been taking many pictures or in the blogging mood. but everyone is well. we went to the park last weekend, and i got zero pictures of winnie since she never left my lap. but the boys had fun running around. dash wandered off several times with some other dogs. it's so good to see him socializing. riley was socializing a little too much, if you catch my drift, the little pervert, so we finally had to leave.

someone needs a hair cut.


dash and his adorable poodle friend on an adventure.


riley barking at the german shepherd puppy.


riley still barking at the big dogs who'd like to have him as a snack. so bad.


who, me?

what makes me happy

okay, okay, so EVERYTHING about dash makes me happy (except the turd snacking, but we've all got our flaws). but what makes me REALLY happy is seeing dash happy, knowing what a long journey it was to get here.

if you're not familiar with dash's history, he was a puppy mill stud, locked in a cage for five years or so. when he got rescued, he was so anxious that'd he'd pace in tiny circles, and he was terrified of people and being touched. over time, the circles got bigger, and he learned that people weren't all that bad. when he came to me, he still had a long way to go, and my motto for him became "all touching is good touching." and i cuddled and petted him every chance i got. now he loves cuddling with me and will beg for pets, and i never turn him down.

at our halloween party, dash wandered into the crowds of people, and twice he got petted. by strangers! and he didn't flinch or run. he LIKED it. he seeked out attention. from STRANGERS! my little boy! *sniffle*

i know these aren't the best photos, but i had to get them while i could.

happy howl-o-ween

halloween, what a great holiday. what's more fun than dressing up and getting free candy? we went to the annual dachshund meetup group costume party, and of course the dogs enjoyed every minute of it. we stayed pretty simple with the costumes this year, enhancing each dog's natural features and unique characteristics.

riley was a bee. he even attempted a little pollinating.

buzz bitches.

winnie was a rescue dog.

someone over here need *hic* rescuing?

and dash, with his spotted coat and girlish figure, was a cow.

oh the moo-miliation.

winnie wednesday

i went out of town for a long weekend and had a friend dog-sit the boys. but i wasn't comfortable leaving winnie with a "stranger" who isn't too familiar with animals, so i boarded her at the v-e-t. it was the scenario i was most comfortable with, and i knew it was the best for everyone to leave such a high maintenance dog with professionals. but i had no idea how much it would change her.

when i went to pick her up, she walked up front on her leash, looking nervously at everyone. but she didn't seem to recognize me, even though i was calling her name. as she got closer, i knelt down and let her sniff me, and as soon as she realized mom was there, she tucked herself into my lap. she was saaaaaaved! she was so calm in the car, no longer nervously pacing. and when we walked in the front door, she sniffed for half a second, then skipped off happily, realizing she was home for good. she bounced all over the boys, and they were happy to see her too. but the biggest change is that she is so much calmer all the time, and it's stuck. she runs at a normal pace, not a frantic flee. and she's going outside on her own, rather than me having to corner her on the couch and carry her to the door. she doesn't bolt off the couch when i sit up or reach over to pet her. big, big progress. the biggest since she first crawled into my lap at the dog park.

dash always seemed to make noticeable progress whenever something "eventful" happened, like a meetup or trip to the groomer, but these didn't do much for winnie's progress. it took me leaving her alone for four days and then coming to her rescue, and now she's a new dog. she's finally realized that she's safe, she's home.

winnie's first year

last month was winnie's first gotcha day-versary. looking back at how winnie's progressed over the last year, she has come a long way. she no longer trembles when she's held by someone. she takes treats from my hands. she'll even approach me when i'm eating, interested in my food. she used to be too scared to even eat a treat or her food when anyone looking at her. her personality has blossomed. she is playful, and she wants to play so badly. that spunky little girl is in there, just dying to come out. but she's still so scared. and she is still a danger to herself when she's scared. she'll run head first into a wall, trying to get away. or she'll try to jump out of someone's arms at chest height. so, since it was time for her annual checkup at the v-e-t anyway, i asked him about anti-anxiety medication. i tried some natural remedies, but they didn't seem to help. and this isn't forever. it's just for now, to see if it can help to calm her down enough so she realizes that we're not here to hurt her. it's been almost a month, and so far, so good. hopefully big(ger) things will start happening soon.

as for the rest of her vet visit, she's completely healthy. and she weighs less than the cat.

august 29, 2010
scared to death in the back seat


october 2010 meetup
the only way to keep her from hiding under the table was to hold her


halloween 2010 meetup
little gingerbread girl


christmas 2010
she is a bearded dachshund


january 2011 meetup
the first time she crawled into my lap, now it's her favorite safe place


february 2011
napping viciously. it's always a good sign when they start sleeping belly up.


june 2011
the annual dachshund pool party at happy paws. she sank like a rock.
we'll work on it for next summer.

winnie wednesday

sigh.


moooooooooooooom!

dash has no manners

ooh, treats??


like i always say, at least he's cute.

winner wednesday

saturday, the meetup group had wiener races. and there were winners. just not us. not even close. as in, these dummies barely made it out of the box. winnie actually got the furthest, because when someone (human) started running behind her, she hauled booty running from him. but then she veered off the track and got disqualified. oh well, there's always next year.

to see an example of my weentards in action, here's video from last year's races with riley and dash. i had to set the camera and then walk around, so skip to about 2 minutes in to get to the races.

oh, and look, winnie's under the table.

winnie wednesday

winnie's first trip to the dog park.


winnie's second trip to the dog park.


i sense a theme here.

the aftermath bath

we had quite an eventful day saturday. we went to visit an old friend and a new puppy, then to the dog park. apparently it was too much for winnie to handle. she tossed her cookies all over me and my car, and then wiped her poopy butt in my lap.

so we came home and took a bath.

of course it's asking too much to have them all look at the same time.

soggy doggies

last weekend was the orlando dachshund meetup group's annual pool party, which is both a fun and different event for the dogs as well as a fundraiser for the dachshund rescue dare. it's held at happy paws pet resort where they have a bone shaped pool made especially for the dogs. the shallow end is six inches, which is the perfect depth for stubby ween legs. i'll admit, we go more for my enjoyment than the dogs'. some of the dogs love it, but mine aren't too interested in the water. i think they think it's a big bath tub.

happy paws' bone pool


this is riley's swimming face. sheer terror.




did you see me? i'm a pro!

winnie can't swim and had to be rescued almost immediately. she kept her head above water, but her butt sank, and she was treading water completely vertical. who knows if that was all nerves though. maybe someday when she becomes a normal dog...

please make it go away.


and then she hid under the table.


this pic just makes me laugh. that's a suspicious look if i ever saw one.

um, why do i hear the jaws theme?


da na...


da na...


da na na na na na na na...


tee hee this is so much fun!

there are tons more pics up on flickr - you can click through any photo to get there.